"RAVEN!" Garfield shouts running up to her. His flip flops slapping the pavement. "Hey, I'm volunteering at the animal shelter downtown if you actually want to stop by this time." Raven inhales her cigarette and replies before exhaling he puff "You already know I'm busy." Which is just what he expected her to say. thankfully he checked with one of her coworkers who also happens to be a good friend of his. Not to mention he's never seen her at work on friday. "I know your not this afternoon, you never work friday and since your not much of a social type I can't imagine what else you'll be doing." She exhales a puff of smoke and glares at him. The look in her eyes is screaming at him to leave her alone. But he can't. Not until she smiles. "I'll be in my room. Reading my books." She's always reading books. In class, at lunch. What on earth is so fascinating about books. No use in reading them all the good ones get made into movies anyway. Not to mention textbooks being impossible to memorize.

The smell of the cigarette smoke wafts into his nose again, the smell of the tobacco topping everything else in the clean fresh air. Why does she do that? A super smart person, clearly way above his own level of intelligence. Pretty, fantastic body she always covers up. Heck she's even an inch or so taller than he is. Yet she spends her time being alone, making herself smelling like an ash tray. Why? He'll just have to charm her out of it. "You know you shouldn't smoke." Who doesn't really. He's pleaded with lots of other people to stop the nasty habit. They all know how bad it is but always manage to sidestep it so they can have their vice.

Raven's the same way. She doesn't say anything and just vigorously jets the smoke out of her nose and flicks the butt into the street. Where some bird or other small animal is likely to choke on it...maybe. He's never read that anywhere but why wouldn't it happen right. He'll deal with it later, for now he's gonna continue wearing down Raven until he gets a yes out of her. "are you sure..." His phone rings cutting him off. He looks at his phone to see "Toni" on the front of it. He answers it. "Hey..." "Ey, Your on your way right?" She speaks with such a heavy english accent. "Yeah dude I'm always there on fridays right."

Garfield begins to wander away from Raven without realizing it. "We need to move a few new animals out of quarantine into the kennel today. In case you forgot" She reminds him. "Okay. Sounds good I'll be over in an a half an hour." He hangs up his phone and turns his attention to Raven. Who has disappeared. "How..?" He wonders for a second. Then his mind jumps back to reality and he heads off to grab his scooter from the bike rack back at the school. It's nothing fancy. I's practically just a piece of wood with a small lawnmower engine. Heck it's even smaller than a decent mower. But it's all he's got for now.

It takes an hour buzzing through town before he gets to the local animal shelter. He parks his moped next to Toni's super nice and super expensive $15,000 super-sport bike. She might be rich as hell, but at least she's a real person. Garfield heads into the employee entrance slips on a set of scrubs an heads into the shelter. Toni stops him right at the exit. "There you are!" Garfield observes this very pale European girl in front of him. Kinda short compared to himself but not to unusual for a girl. Her messy short black hair sprouting out in all directions. Probably from the helmet hair, featuring a couple of red bangs hanging over her eyes. Oh look at that she's wearing crocs. Bright red. Clearly that's her favorite color. She is so awesome. She would make a great girlfriend if it wasn't for that fact that she's gay an all. "Come on we've got a few that we need to move into the kennel."

Garfield follows her out around the side of the building where the back kennels are. It's the place where the dogs are keep the new strays when they arrive. They walk inside and all of them light up immediately when they see him. Panting, grinning, and wagging their tails. "See," Toni begins, "This is why I wanted you to get here. All the animals always love you. They were driving me bonkaz when I called." Toni looks down into one of the cages at a smiling young dog. Maybe a year or two old. "You were being so mean until he showed up ya wee bitch" Garfield would tell her to be nice but he learned how hard headed this girl can be.

The day goes on and the dogs have been successfully moved into the public kennel. Garfield walks the last dog into his new kennel. From behind he hears a girls voice squeaking in excitement. He looks up to see the two most popular kids in all of highschooldom. Dick and Karen. Or as many refer to them, and douche and the cheerleader. Granted he's talked to Dick a few times in his classes at school. But nothing much more than discussing the current assignment they'd been given. He was nice enough to help Garfield out so he isn't all bad. Dick is standing there looking into the cage with his hands in his pockets wearing his trademark sunglasses that he rarely takes off and Karen is crouching down looking in at a few puppies inside a kennel. He heads over to say hi in a slightly nervous why am I talking to these guys kind of way. "Hey guys, what going on?" "Hi," Dick says and Karen looks up and give on overly happy "Hello friend!" Her attention is quickly back on the happy little pups climbing over one another to be the one to get the attention.

Dick walks up and meets him halfway. Garfield asks "Need any help?" "I might in a few minutes. Karen wants to get a puppy." "Dude, as great as puppies are, guys like ole sluggo here-" He points to the dog in the kennel next to him. "-are even better. You don't have to train an older dog and they'll love you forever." Dick scratches his head in a nervous manner and replies; "Yeah, but girls always go for puppies and I kinda don't like to argue with her."

Garfield looks over Dicks shoulder at her. Wow is she hot. Usually Garfield doesn't like to judge but man this girl has everything in the perfect proportions that a girl with a thin body type can have. Her clothing choice is also adding to that effect. A couple of light brown leather thigh high boots over skinny jeans, a loose and baggy shirt with wide shoulders and black buret capping her head on top of the waist length read hair. And those bright green eyes and that smile and... Garfield realizes that through those opaque sunglasses Dick is staring right at him with a completely neutral expression that is just screaming at him "what are you looking at?"

Garfield just grins nervously and looks down at Sluggo. The old bulldog looks at him as if to say "Your on your own dude". Suddenly Karen's bright happy voice says "I would like to take this one home please." She points into the kennel. Garfield walks over and looks at the little dog. A small tan pug smiling up at them. "That is her" Karen says. Garfield opens the kennel door just enough to stick his leg in to block the dogs from running out. He scoops the little girl up and closes the door with one arm. He walks with Karen and Dick over to a larger cage with some fake green grass on the ground. Karen has some time to interact with her. It doesn't take long for her to make up her mind a second time about taking this dog home with her.

Garfield puts a notice on the dog's cage that says adopted while he takes Karen and Dick to the office to have them fill out paperwork. A couple of hours pass by and the pound is shutting down. All the dogs are given the food and water they need for the night. Garfield is giving a little extra attention to Sluggo. The manager of the pound that evening is walking around making sure that everything is is order. He spots Garfield kneeling down in front of the kennel. He goes to tell him to leave when he is stopped by Toni. "You know he's not gonna leave that dog. Especially on it's last night." The manager hands he the keys, "You know what to lock up. Don't be too late."

About ten minutes later Garfield is sitting in the kennel with Sluggo. The dogs head in his lap while laying there. Garfield slowly scratches Sluggo's ear and talks to him. "I tried. But no one wants an old dog… I'd take you home myself but my aunt is allergic to dogs. Plus our complex won't allow pets." Toni opens the kennel and enters. "You know how late it is right?" Garfield looks up at her in her motorcycle riding clothes. This girl really loves fashion. She always has to wear the appropriate outfit for whatever she's doing. Black leather pants, red biker boots, Red shirt under a black leather jacket. Plus the red and black full face helmet she's holding.

"Of course." "Look Gar, I don't think it's a good idea for you to volunteer here. As much as we all like you." "What else am I supposed to do? All these guys gotta go to a good home right?" Toni sits down and leans her back on the wall opposite Garfield and Sluggo. Knowing how difficult of a conversation this will be. "I was talking with Dave, manager Dave, and he thinks the same thing. Every month you bond with another animal and then you wind up spending it's last night here. I just don't think it's good for you. It really fucks you up for a couple of days afterwards." Garfield tries to come up with a response. A real reason for him to stay. He can't come up with anything that isn't just reiterating what he's said a thousand time before. He just rubs Sluggo's head and lets his mind try to come up with an answer.

He looks at Toni for a second and realizes how good she manages to look all the time. As strange as he feels with all the conflicting things going on inside him at once he pops out one odd question. "Hey, if you weren't, you know, gay. Would you go out with me?" Both of them we're silent for a second. Toni attempting to avoid hurting his feelings as much as possible replies; "I don't…know. I guess I would. But aren't you and Rachel…?" "I've never asked. I just don't think she'll go for me. She doesn't seem to like me or, anybody really." "Well maybe I could talk to her when I get to work tomorrow. You know send her in your direction." "I don't know." "Trust me. You need someone Gar, she's real down to earth, and you, well. You can make her laugh." "But Raven doesn't." "Give it time. That's how she is."

Garfield sits there knowing he's lost the argument. When Toni makes up her mind there's no arguing with her. Toni grabs her helmet and stands up ready to leave the kennel. "Look. We have to go. I'll see if I could send Rachel your way and everything we'll work out for you. Now hurry up before we both get canned by Dave." She throws on her helmet and Garfield follows her out of the cage. He stands there looking through the wires staring at the eyes of Sluggo. knowing that tomorrow he'll be put down because no one will take him home.

Toni hops on her red and black sport bike which matches her outfit. Garfield hops on his…scooter. A small 49cc moped that can barely top 40 MPH. it's enough to get him around town. He manages to get home, plop onto bed and relax for a moment. His thought drift towards Raven. Why is called Raven? Her name's Rachel, I think… it doesn't take him long to drift off to sleep.

That next day he pulls into a parking spot at the animal shelter. Feeling bitter after last nights goodbye. He pulls off his helmet and spot an older man walking out of the pound with none other than Sluggo on a leash happy as he can be. A huge weight of sadness lifted off of his chest at that moment. The old man had an eyepatch which was kinda cool. Garfield heads inside and one of the other volunteers walks up and says "Hey, some old guy was just here asking about you." "Really? Like what?" "it was kinda general. Mostly like if you worked here and when. Is he a cop or something?" "nah dude. I don't know why it would be a cop. Or anybody else.